Suction cleaner



Janis, 1952 D. C. GERBER SUCTION CLEANER Filed Oct. 23, 1946 INVENTOR. Dale C. Gerber BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 STATES PATENT OFFICE Dale aflrerbenfilorth Canton, Ohio, 'assigiior "to The omer Company, North Canton, Ohio, at

. Application oetoberzs, 1946, Serial No. #03174 71? claims. (01. 183 -'5 This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to a novel filtereshalging device incorporating :means for einformingathe :user when it is being properly operated. a v :Prior filter-shaking devices make use :of col-n paratively strong springs for snapping the filter to taut condition in order to dislodge dirt accumulated thereon. such :stro'ng springs are deemed essential'for theefiective operationof certain shaker designs. However. they have the disadvantage of requiringconsiderable operating force on the part of the user. Since the filter is not exposed to View, the user is. unable to tell when the spring has been stressed sufilciently .to

provide an adequate shaker operating force with the result that the filter maynot' be cleaned to any appreciable extent even though the shaker has been operated several times.

It is therefore an object of the present -inve ntion to provide 'a novel suction 'eleane'r which overcomes defects in prior constructions; More specifically, it :is an object of this invention to provide a cleaner having a new and improved filter-shaking mechanism. :A iurther object is the provision of a filter shaker incorporating f means for informing the user when it is being is very'simple in construction, lowineo'st and highly eflectiv'e for its intendedpurposesa These and other objects will become apparent upon reading the following specification claims and the accompanying drawings show ing a preferred embodiment. V

Figure 1 is a side eIevatio'n'aI view or a tank type suction cleaner illustrating a pre'ferrea emd m enfim t Figure 2 is a sectional row era garter the shaker mechanism and associated fslghal taken along the line 2 92 on Figure 1. k H I r V vFigure 3 is an is" etric view bra mortified form of signal device men emits an auqimefsignai after a lure-determined n'mnber of effective shaker operations. I I

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be seen that I my invention has been incorporated in ;a

type cleaner having an outer casing J0, the opposite ends of whichare closed by n eans of end caps l! and i2 respectively. These are provided 2 with adaptersfi and l' 4 provided with air inlet and an outlet passages, #SfictiWlY, and .each of which is adapted to receive the usual cleaning tool attachments. 'Cap member H is releasably held in place by toggle clamp I 5 while cap [2 may be semi-permanently secured to the casing by screws or other equivalent'i-heans.

The casing is mounted upon runners Hi to facilitate movement 0f he elean r about the room or space being c eaned. Secured to the op of the casing s a c rrying handle 11 and "an'opcrating control switch la. K i

Suitably mounted interi'ori'y of the fc zajs'ing and toward one end thereof lisf'a conventional type of motor-driven suction fah unit l9 having an axially disposed lnl'et. port 20 'and 'radially dis posed discharge port'sl I. Aiscr'eenecl grill 22 may be mounted over theair inlet port to'prevent foreign objects from entering the fan chamber. 5

A filter bag 23 of "suitable air 'pervious material occupies a major portion fof the casing and has an open end secured to the (Easing 'lnteriorly of end cap I I. Aspider,notshown, isenclo'sed within the inner interior and of the bag and has its central portion secured to the inner end of a supporting bracket arm 24. ,This arm is L-'-shaped and, as shown, has its l nger leg 25 slidably mounted along the lower interior side of casing It). An operating handle 26 is attached to the outer end of arm and "is movable along a slot, not shown, in the lower side of the casing. v

Secured to the opposite side of bracket 24 and extending along the lower interior side of the casing opposite arm .25 is a ,filter driver spring guide ro d 2| Intermediate the ends of this r is a bracket which fserve'slft'o guide the {rod and also as an abutment for the filter drive pring 29. It will thus be apparent that the relatively strong filter drive "spring 29 functions normally to 'maintain filter bag 23 under very considerable tension thereby permitting the bag to function ,at maximum .efiiciency. I p

Incorporated with the bag shaker '!'nechanism is my novel signal device. I This comprises a mass of metal 30 which is freely slidable on the outer end of guide rod 21. A relatively light compression Si rifig3l is interposedbtweenbracket 28 and metal mass 30 and normally maintains the latter against the adiust'ame lock nuts 32. As

will be readily understood, nuts 32 permit adjust;- lnent of the str ss on Spring 3] which governs the per on of e i a deu ,Mounted upon the interior side o i' t he e s ng ofthe gene may also be made adjustable .80

' veniently accessible.

desired. A resiliently mounted clapper 34 extends laterally from metal mass 30, and is so disposed relative to the gong that it will strike the same only when the inertia imparted to metal mass 39 by filter drive spring 29 is great enough to overcome spring 3| and permit the clapper to strike the gong.

Referring now to the modification of my invention illustrated in Figure 3, it will be observed that substantially the only change involves a.

modified signal device located at the outer end of the filter spring guide rod. Primed numerals are employed to designate elements having their counterpart in the preferred form.

The alternative signal device is mounted upon a base plate 35 which may be curved to fit against the inner side of the cleaner casing at a point beneath the outer end of the filter guide rod. 21. This guide rod is slidably supported by an upturned support 28' which is adapted to form one .of the abutments for -the filter drive spring 29". If desired, a resilient buffer cushion 36 may be interposed between the end of the drive spring and support 28.

.A metallic mass 30 is slidably mounted on the outer end of rod 2'l' and is normally held against lock nuts 32' by a light tension spring 31'. Pivotally supported on mass 30' is a pawl 31 which cannot rotate counterclockwise beyond the position shown in Figure 3. However, it may rotate as much as 90 clockwise against the action of a light spring 39.. Rotatably' mounted in the path of travel of the'pawl is a star wheel 40 which is designedto rotate counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 3;." This'wheel may be called a metering or tallying device since it functions to count the number of proper shaker strokes and'to operate the signal after a pro-determined number of such strokes have been completed. A leaf spring 4! is mounted on base plate 35 and extends into lengagement with the teeth of the star wheel for the purpose ofpermitting the same to rotate one tooth at a time but operative to prevent clockwise rotation as'will be obvious from the drawing. One only of the segments of the star wheel is provided'witha downturned flange 42. Pivotally supported to one side of the star wheel is a bell "crank 43 having a short arm 44 extending into the'path 'of flange 42. Its opposite end 45 carries a bellclapper 46 normally'held near gong 33' by a tension spring 41. I

My invention operates as follows: Referring first to the preferred embodiment shownin Fisures 1 and 2, it will be understood that when the operator desires to restore the operating efficiency of the filter by removing dirt accumulatedon the inner walls thereof, it is merely necessary to up end. the cleaner or to turn it on its side so that the filter operating handle 26 is con- This handle is then moved longitudinally of the casing with the result that the filterbag is collapsed. and driving sprin v 29 iSf compressed to a high degree. 'Upcn'release oftheoperatinghandle, "the drive spring will expand rapidly carrying the filter supporting bracket 24 toward the motor fan unit andsnapping the filter bag to a taut condition with a'vi' g orous action. If the, operator has compressed the drivmg spring to such an extent that it has ade-- quate stored energ to snap the filter properly. then sufficient inertia will be impartedto the slidable mass 30 to compress the relatively light spring 31: and permit the clapper to sound'gon 33. Immediately followinga single sounding of thegongmass 30 a'nd clapper 34 will'be'lel llmfi d 4 by spring 3| to a position against lock nut 32. It will be apparent that if the filter drive spring 29 has not been sufiiciently compressed by the operator, mass either will not slide forwardly on the guide rod or will notmove far enough to sound the gong. Thus, even though the operator cannot see the filter, he is advised immediately as to whether or not the shaker mechanism has been so operated as to shake the same properly. If the gong does sound, he is assured that the cleaning efficiency of the filter has been restored.

The operation of the modified construction is similar to that described above for the preferred embodiment exceptfthat a pre-determined number of proper shaker operations is required to actuate the signal device. This is accomplished as followszThe shaker handle is operated as described above with the result that upon each release thereof metallic .mass 30 will move forwardly along guide rod 21 and pawl 31 will rotate star wheel 40 through one increment. After a single operation, the metallic mass is returned by'tension spring 3|" to its position against ad justable stop 32' on the end of the drive rod. Spring 39 on pawl 3'! permits the latter to override the adjacent tooth of the star wheel so that it will be in position to again rotate the wheel upon the next operation of the shaker mechanism. The star wheel is prevented from rotating clockwise during this operation by reason of the lockingaction of leaf spring 4|. If the operator failsupon any operation ofthe shaker to compress thedriving spring adequately. mass 30 will not move forward along rod 21' and consequently pawl 31 will not rotatethe star wheel. However, after a plurality of proper operations of the shaker, depending upon the number of teeth on the star wheel, the latter will have been rotated. sufficiently to permit flange 42 of thewheel to operate bell crank '43 and clapper 46 to sound gong 33'.

While each of the above described modifications and others which fall within the scope of this invention'mayzbe operated to shake the filter either during operation of the cleaner and without removing'the end cap I I, yet the arrangement has particular utility as an aid in thoroughly cleaning the filter during dirt emptying operations. To accomplish this it is merely necessary to remove end cap II by releasing clam 15 and to up-end thecleaner so that its exposed end rests upon a sheet of paper or a dirt-receiving receptacle. It will then be understood that the accumulateddirtas well as that adhering to the side walls, of the filter .canbe removed ,very simply without removing the filter from the cleaner andwhile. the latter is held by its own :weight' in airtight relation to the dirt-receiving surface.

After the signal device has advised the operator runners and the-end cap is replaced so that the cleaner may be returned to normal operation.

While I have. shown and described but two emb'odimen'ts of my invention, it is to be understood that these are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense". "I do not wish to be limited to the specific constructions shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims. I v

Having thus described my invention what I claimis: 1 W P l. Shaker mechanism for a suction cleaner filter"comprisin'g rn'ovable 'supporting means-for a' filterbasf spring means biasing said support to a normal position in which a wall of a filter is maintained taut, manually" opera-blemeans for moving said supporting means so as to remove thetensi'on on said filter wall and to increase the tension on said spring means, signal means, and? means interconnecting said shaker mechanism and said signal means operable to actuate said signal from energy provided by said spring means when returning said filter wall to a taut condition after operation of said manually oper-- able means.

2. A filter shaker mechanism as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said interconnecting means and said signal means includes means for actuating said signal after a plurality of separate operations of said shaker mechanism.

3. The combination with a suction cleaner comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a filter supported in said casing be.- tween said inlet and said outlet, shaker mechanism connected to said filter for dislodging dirt therefrom, said mechanism including spring means normally operative to tension the walls of said. filter, manually operable means for collapsing said filter in opposition to said spring means so that upon release of said manual means said spring means snaps the walls of said filter taut abruptly .to dislodge dirt, of signal means associated with said shaker mechanism for apprisina the operator whether said shaker mechanism is beingoperatedin a manner-to shake said filter efiectively, said signal means being normally inactive, means for momentarily activating said signal means including means operatively connected with said shaker mechanism and operable upon a predetermined movement of the same to shake said filter to activate said signal means.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said signal means includes a gong, and wherein said means for activating said gong includes striker for sounding said gong. 5.. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said means for activating said signal means comprises a weight movably' supported upon a movable portion of said shaker mechanism, light spring means for holding said weight against an abutment on said shaker mechanism so long as said shaker mechanism is stationary or is being moved in opposition to said spring means acting on said filter but permitting said weight to move relative to said shaker mechanism to activate said signal means when the movement of the shaker mechanism is abruptly stopped by the tensioning of said filter walls.

6.. The combination of a filter shaking mechanism and a signal means therefor operable to activate'said signal when said shaker is being operated to shake a filter effectively comprising, a filter, stationary means for supporting one part of said filter, movable supporting means con nected to another portion of said filter including a stiff shaker spring normally holding the walls of the filter taut, manual means for moving said movable supporting means in opposition to said shaker spring to relax the tension on. said filter whereby said spring snaps said walls taut abruptly when said manual means is released, signal means, and means positioned in the path of said movable filter support when the same is operated to shake said filter and operable by the movement of said movable support to activate said signal means.

7. The combination with a filter bag and a shaker mechanism therefor of the type in which the filter is collapsed in opposition to a spring and suddenly released for abrupt tensioning by said spring; to dislodge adhering dirt, or ag'sig-nal' device arranged to be activated in response to the'collapsing of said filter to a predetermined extent, said signal devicecomprising audible signal emitting means, means for energizing said signalemitting means including means located in thepath ofmovementof said shaker mechanism and actuatable upon a predetermined movement thereof in collapsing said filter to energize said signal emitting means momentarily, as said filter is tensi'oned 8'; The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said signal device includes a tallying medianism located between said shaker mechanism and said audible signal emitting means, the-'ar-- rangement of said shaker and tallying mechanisms being suchthat the movement "or said shaker mechanism in shaking said filter ail-.- vances said tallying mechanism through one increment each time said shaker is manually operated, means for holding said tallying mechanism against retrograde movement, and means actuated bysaid tallying mechanism'after the same has been advanced a predetermined number of increments; for energizing said signal emitting meanswhereby the operatoris advised that said shaker mechanism has been operated in a satisfactory manner to shake said filter. 9. The combination with a filter for a suction cleaner and a shaker mechanism therefor of the type which alternately collapses and tensions a.

wall of the filter abruptly to dislodge adheringdirt, of a tallying device/a mass movable upon actuationof said shaker to advance said tally ing device one increment for eaclioperation'of said shaker, a signal device, and means respbnsive to the advancement of said tallying device through a predetermined number of increments to actuate said signal device. 1

10. In a suction cleaner, a filter therefor, a shaking mechanism for'sai'd filterof the type having a spring for tensioning said filter walls abruptly when said spring is compressed and then released, a signal device operative to give a signal when said spring is compressed sufficiently to tension said filter abruptly and with a predetermined force comprising signal means, means for activating said signal means including means located in the path of said shaking mechanism so as to be moved thereby to activate said signal when said spring has been compressed to a predetermined extent 11 In a, suction cleaner, a casing having an opening, a filter bag within said casing having an opening in communication with said casing opening, supporting means attached to said filter at a point opposite the-opening therein, means normally operative to maintain side walls of said bag taut and movable to a position in which said walls are loose and at least partially collapsed, means for restoring said walls from a partially collapsed to a taut condition abruptly and with a snapping action to dislodge dirt adhering thereto, signal means, means for activating said signal means, said activating means including means located in the path of movement of said means for maintaining the walls of said bag taut and movable thereby to actuate said signal activating means if said bag has been collapsed to a predetermined extent.

12. In a suction cleaner, a filter means, shaker mechanism therefor of the type which is manual- 1 depressed to collapse the filter means in opposition to a spring and is then released permitting the spring to snap the walls of the filter taut abruptly to dislodge dirt, normally inactive signal means associated with said filter means and shaker mechanism adapted to be activated momentarily when said shaker is manually depressed to the extent required to shake said filter effectively, said signal means including means movable with said shaker as the same is manually depressed in opposition to said spring and which is movable to a limited extent independently of said shaker by inertia action as the return movement of said shaker is arrested abruptly by the tensioning of said filter walls, and means actuated by the independent movement of said last mentionedmeans to a predetermined extent for momentarily activating said signal means whereby the operator is apprised as to whether said shaker mechanism is operating properly. r

13. A suction cleaner as defined in claim- 12 wherein said signal activating means includes a tally device adapted to be advanced one increment by said activating means for each complete operating cycle of said shaker, and means operated by said tallying device after the same has been advanced a predetermined number of increments for activating said signal means.

14. Shaker mechanism for a suction cleaner filter comprising movably mounted means for supporting one end of a filter bag, spring means normally'biasing said filter supporting means in a direction to maintain walls of a filter taut, manually operable means to move said filter support against theaction of said-biasing means to collapse the walls of a filter supported thereby where by said spring means tensions said, filter abruptly to dislodge dirt therefrom when said manually operable means is released, audible signal emitting means, striker means for said signal means, and actuating means operatively connected with said shaker mechanism for moving said striker means against said signal means upon a predetermined movement of said shaker mechanism to shake said filter. v

15. A filter'shaker mechanism as defined in claim 14 characterized in that said interconnecting means includes inertia responsive means operable to actuate said signal means provided said filter supporting means is moved to a predeter- 8 mined extent before being released- -for return to a taut filter supporting position by said biasing means. r

16. A filter shaker mechanism as definedin claim 14 characterized in that said interconnecting means includes a member movable with respect to said manually operable means and actuatable by energy supplied by said biasing means to sound said audible signal means provided said shaker mechanism has been operated to a predetermined extent to shake a filter and dislodge dirt therefrom.

17. In combination, a suction cleaner-of the tank type comprising an elongatedhousing, a motor fan unit in one portion thereof and a 001-. lapsible filter bag mounted in another portion thereof, means operable to shake saidfilter to dislodge adhering dirt and to maintain the walls thereof normally under tension, said means including a member extending longitudinally of said housing with a portion opposite saidmotor fan unit and a portion opposite said filter, an operating handle attached thereto and extending to a point exteriorly of said casing, signal means, and inertia responsive means operable to actuate said signal'means when saids'naker has been collapsed to a predetermined extent whereby the operator is advised that the filter has been efiectively actuated; DALE C. GERBER.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

v v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name .7 Date Re.2l,978 Leathers Dec. 16, 1941 1,299,996 Nicholson Apr. 8, 1919 1,939,368 Rydmark et a1. Dec. 12, 1933 2,077,572 Lofgren Apr. 20, 1937 2,320,368 Leathers June 1, 1943 .2,i98,102 White a Feb. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number ,Country Date Great Britain Apr. 30, 1898 

